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Thursday, April 17, 2003

Review - Lullaby for Liquid Pig

Artist: Lisa Germano

Posted
on Thu, Apr 17, 2003 at 4:00 AM

Having gotten drunk with Lisa Germano before, I can tell you that the woman has a healthy appreciation for the power of the bottle. Having endured a winding, apologetic interview with her at 10:30 a.m. in the blinding sunshine outside the Los Angeles Farmers Market after "an evening out," I can also tell you that the woman has a healthy appreciation for the bottle's less-desirable after-effects. Germano has long revealed her various emotional weaknesses and psychological addictions via albums like "Happiness" and "Geek the Girl" uncomfortably laying bare those struggles. "Lullaby for Liquid Pig" -- her first post-4AD solo release -- is ostensibly a chronicle of her coming to grips with her alcohol use. Thankfully, it's not a post-recovery, cautionary tale she tells, nor is it even consistently about (over-) drinking. Instead, "Lullaby" (like much of the rest of her work) weaves its songs into a hazy framework that's as sticky and scary as many mornings-after. Though some songs ("Liquid Pig," "It's Party Time") directly reference booze, others are more obtuse. "Dream Glasses Off" comes off like a jab at her former label, while "Paper Doll" is a metaphor-drenched reference to sexual victimization. The album's sound still hews closely to the atmospheric wooziness Germano has always excelled at, while her lyrical skill has exponentially increased since 1998's "Slide." If records like this are what happens when you cut back on the booze, perhaps more artists should try it.